In general, an office equipment such as a photocopier, a scanner, or a multifunction machine scans a document, then stores a scanned image as a data or prints the image on a printing paper. Such an office equipment includes a document glass disposed on a main body of the office equipment to scan the document, a cover to secure the document laid on the document glass, and a hinge apparatus connecting the cover and the main body of the office equipment.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a conventional hinge device including a hinge body (1), a pressure device (2) and a hinge cam (3), disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0474425.
The above hinge body (1) is disposed to a main body (110) of the office equipment to be moved upward and downward, at an upper part a cover (120) and a secured hinge cam (3) are coupled each other by means of a hinge shaft.
Further, a pressure device (2) having a spring (2b) and a pusher (2a) is disposed within the hinge body (1), and the pusher (2a) is movably upward and downward inside of the hinge body (1) and a front end protruded to the outside is supported in a contact state with the hinge cam (3).
Therefore, the cover (120) of the conventional office equipment is closed in a state that a cam part of the hinge cam (3) presses the pusher (2a) of the pressure device (2) in the inner direction, in opening the cover (120), the hinge cam (3) and the pusher (2a) are in contact under a minimum pressure.
Moreover, in case that a thick document is laid upon the document glass of the office equipment and the cover (120) is closed, the hinge body (1) is moved from the main body (110) of the office equipment to the upper part thereof, then a gap between the document glass and the cover (120) is increased.
However, the above device has a configuration that the cover is closed in tight contact of the hinge cam and the pusher by pressing the pusher using the one cam part disposed at the hinge cam, and therefore, a slow down section in which all the process is slowly performed is provided only.
In other words, a damping function which makes the cover closed slowly is performed, whereby it is impossible for the cover to maintain an opened state to a desirable section (angle).
Further, although a hinge device being performed a free stop function so as to configure freely an opening and closing angle of the cover within a certain range has been developed and used, in this case, a free stop section is small, thereby generating a loud noise in closing the cover or causing user's injury.